The Comparative Analysis of Short-Term Rental Laws: Australia’s New South Wales and Thailand Perspectives

Abstract

Short-term accommodation rentals have become more popular around the world. The global short-term lodging revenue in 2019 was 83,983.5 million USD, while Thailand’s short-term accommodation revenue was 456.4 million USD. Although the coronavirus outbreak affected short-term rental around the world, it is projected to resurface after the pandemic because it provides millennials with excursions and accommodations that go beyond traditional tourism. The short-term accommodation industry in Australia generates roughly 30 billion AUD per year. Customers of short-term accommodations typically book their accommodations online, with Airbnb being the most popular. Airbnb is an internet platform that allows owners of houses, apartments, condominiums, and other types of lodgings all over the world to meet their guests. Airbnb is more than just a marketplace; it also offers booking, payment processing, and insurance for losses caused by short-term rental activity. Other short-term rental intermediary sites include Stayz, Homeaway, and others. However, short-term rentals in NSW, as well as other countries such as Thailand, have been met with hostility from local communities and hotel owners who refuse to let tourists stay in houses or non-hotel accommodations. As a result, the NSW government has attempted to regulate the industry in order to strike a balance between hosts’ rights to home-sharing, which results in revenue distribution, and neighbors’ right to live in peace. As a result of this effort, numerous regulations have been amended, with some of them already taking effect on December 18, 2020, and others scheduled to take effect soon. This article presents the NSW government’s legislative measures, such as requiring accommodation registration, defining the accountability of hosts and online platform providers, and establishing a complaint system and exclusion registry scheme, as a model for developing a regulatory measure in Thailand.